Dylan McIlrath (1/6: Skated without problem )

Good goalies don't grow on trees. Potentially great ones (and Blackburn was every bit of that) are rare. I'd say we could have put some deal together for a very high draft pick at minimum.

Teams rebuild form the goal tender out most of the time so I think that's not a stretch.

The thing is Blackburn was wowing so many of the commentators, pundits and vets. I can't be sure Hank would not have been the one delt.

It just goes to show that even a franchise as pathetic as the Rangers can draft and develop top end top talent.

Neither Danny's or Hank's or success had anythign to do with the Rangers.

Danny came in as a teenager and made the team. Played for the Rangers, not in the system. There was no developing by the team with him.

Same goes for Hank. He tore up the SEL and came over, sat for 30 games and took over the starting job when Weeks went down. All of Hanks development can be attributed to the folks at Frolunda (Junior squad and Pro team)

Rangers get credit for his development much in the same way Sather gets credit for the actual pick considering he took the GM job a week before the draft.

Yep. Imagine if we had both of them. Man alive. We could have gotten a king's ransom for one of the two.

I wonder which one they would have kept. Has to be Blackburn. Cigar likes to toot his own horn and Blackie O was more of a slats pick.

Also picked that year was Marek Zidlicky, who sather cried "ask for too much money!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by pld459666

Neither Danny's or Hank's or success had anythign to do with the Rangers.

Danny came in as a teenager and made the team. Played for the Rangers, not in the system. There was no developing by the team with him.

Same goes for Hank. He tore up the SEL and came over, sat for 30 games and took over the starting job when Weeks went down. All of Hanks development can be attributed to the folks at Frolunda (Junior squad and Pro team)

Rangers get credit for his development much in the same way Sather gets credit for the actual pick considering he took the GM job a week before the draft.

Good point, both were pretty talented by the time they competed in the big league, the Rangers had no choice but to play them cause they were earning their way almost immediately. And Danny played behind some god awful defenses and made alot of great stops, especially in those Montreal games.

I wonder which one they would have kept. Has to be Blackburn. Cigar likes to toot his own horn and Blackie O was more of a slats pick.

Also picked that year was Marek Zidlicky, who sather cried "ask for too much money!"

Zids thing still pisses me off. What a moronic move to get rid of him.

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"Of course giving Sather cap space is like giving teenagers whiskey and car keys." - SBOB"Watching Sather build a team is like watching a blind man with no fingers trying to put together an elaborate puzzle." - Shadowtron
"Used to be only Twinkies and cockroaches could survive a nuke. I'd add Habs to that. I'm convinced the CH stands for Club du Hypocrisy." - Gee Wally

Was Blackburn really that good? I didn't really follow hockey back then.

I personally didn't think too highly of Blackburn. I felt like he was very flawed - I felt side-to-side he was sluggish...he also had a weak glove. Positionally he was decent, but he never came across to me as a world-beater. When I saw Hank play, you just knew he was more talented. I feel Blackburn gets overrated because of the unfortunate injury - almost similar to the same way Cherepanov went from "high upside, poor work ethic, high-risk prospect" before his death to "he was a lock to be a top NHL star for years" afterwards. We fantasize optimistically about what could have been for those who aren't fortunate enough to write their whole story.

I personally didn't think too highly of Blackburn. I felt like he was very flawed - I felt side-to-side he was sluggish...he also had a weak glove. Positionally he was decent, but he never came across to me as a world-beater. When I saw Hank play, you just knew he was more talented. I feel Blackburn gets overrated because of the unfortunate injury - almost similar to the same way Cherepanov went from "high upside, poor work ethic, high-risk prospect" before his death to "he was a lock to be a top NHL star for years" afterwards. We fantasize optimistically about what could have been for those who aren't fortunate enough to write their whole story.

I'm not sure if you're are thinking of the right Dan Blackburn… his lateral movement and glove hand were two absolute strengths of his… I also remembering him handling the puck fairly well, although maybe that's just because he followed Richter who was terrible at it ;-)

Like I said, I hope Dylan has a long, great run with this team. He has undeniable & valuable tools that will hopefully give him success. I do worry about his health but want nothing but the best for him. A question was posed & I responded. I would've preferred to see a different player chosen & nothing has really changed that opinion. The McIlrath selection was mystifying. It's all a moot point, I fully acknowledge - but again, the question was asked. Has nothing to do w/ 'instant gratification'